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3.9
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Catalysts
Special Issues
NanoBio Hybrids and Photocatalysis
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NanoBio Hybrids and Photocatalysis

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Photocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 12829

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Omer Yehezkeli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion, Israel
Interests: biosensors; biocatalysis; photocatalysis; nano-bio interfaces; photo-bioelectrochemical cells

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Through billions of years of evolution, biological material has evolved to give us the amazing variety that exists today. Since the advent of biotechnology, we have been able to redesign enzymes and other biological components to fit any desired function. A different scientific discipline altogether, nanotechnology, has also seen a huge jump in the past 30 years. The ability to design, synthesize, and modify nanomaterials, and to further use them for our needs has contributed to a variety of scientific fields that have changed our world. These materials have unique and tunable optical, electronic, and catalytic characteristics, and are part of modern technology as it exists today. The use of bio-based materials in conjugation with nanomaterials or electrodes opens a new route for bioactivation and the construction of novel devices. Those nano-bio hybrids can lead to new functions or allow new triggers to enable biocatalytic reactions. This Special Issue aims to cover recent progress and trends in designing nano bio interfaced systems and satellite topics, such as biocatalysis and photocatalysis.

Prof. Dr. Omer Yehezkeli
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bioelectrochemistry
  • nano-bio interface
  • biocatalysis
  • photocatalysis
  • artificial photosynthesis
  • photosystem

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 2022 KiB  
Article
Electron Mediation and Photocurrent Enhancement in Dunalliela salina Driven Bio-Photo Electrochemical Cells
by Yaniv Shlosberg, Tünde N. Tóth, Benjamin Eichenbaum, Lee Keysar, Gadi Schuster and Noam Adir
Catalysts 2021, 11(10), 1220; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11101220 - 10 Oct 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2496
Abstract
In recent years, finding alternatives for fossil fuels has become a major concern. One promising solution is microorganism-based bio-photo electrochemical cells (BPECs) that utilize photosynthetic solar energy conversion as an energy source while absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. It was previously reported [...] Read more.
In recent years, finding alternatives for fossil fuels has become a major concern. One promising solution is microorganism-based bio-photo electrochemical cells (BPECs) that utilize photosynthetic solar energy conversion as an energy source while absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. It was previously reported that in cyanobacterial-based BPECs, the major endogenous electron mediator that can transfer electrons from the thylakoid membrane photosynthetic complexes and external anodes is NADPH. However, the question of whether the same electron transfer mechanism is also valid for live eukaryotic microalgae, in which NADPH must cross both the chloroplast outer membrane and the cell wall to be secreted from the cell has remained elusive. In this work, we show that NADPH is also the major endogenous electron mediator in the microalgae Dunalliela salina (Ds). We show that the ability of Ds to tolerate high salinity enables the production of a photocurrent that is 5–6 times greater than previously reported for freshwater cyanobacterial-based BPECs in the presence or absence of exogenous electron mediators. Additionally, we show that the electron mediator Vitamin B1 can also function as an electron mediator enhancing photocurrent production. Finally, we show that the addition of both FeCN and NADP+ to Ds has a synergistic effect enhancing the photocurrent beyond the effect of adding each mediator separately. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue NanoBio Hybrids and Photocatalysis)
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12 pages, 2849 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Collected on TiO2-Supporting Quartz Fibre Filters
by Koki Sohara, Katsuya Yamauchi, Xu Sun, Kazuhiro Misawa and Yoshika Sekine
Catalysts 2021, 11(3), 400; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11030400 - 22 Mar 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2913
Abstract
Airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution is known to have adverse effects on human health, and owing to their carcinogenic and mutagenic nature, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of particular concern. This study investigated the effect of ultraviolet (UV)-induced photocatalysis on [...] Read more.
Airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution is known to have adverse effects on human health, and owing to their carcinogenic and mutagenic nature, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of particular concern. This study investigated the effect of ultraviolet (UV)-induced photocatalysis on the degradation of PAHs in PM2.5, employing titanium dioxide (TiO2)-supporting quartz fibre filters. A TiO2 layer was formed on the quartz fibre filters, and airborne PM2.5 was collected using an air sample at a flow rate of 500 L/min for 24 h. The PM2.5 samples were subsequently irradiated with ultraviolet rays at 1.1 mW/cm2. The amounts of nine targeted PAHs (phenanthrene, PHE; anthracene, ANT; pyrene, PYR; benzo[a]anthracene, BaA; chrysene, CHR; benzo[b]fluoranthene, BbF; benzo[k]fluoranthene, BkF; benzo[a]pyrene, BaP; and benzo[g,h,i]perylene, BgP) gradually decreased during the treatment, with half-lives ranging from 18 h (PHE) to 3 h (BaP), and a significantly greater reduction was found in comparison with the PAHs collected in the control (non-TiO2 coated) quartz fibre filters. However, the degradation rates were much faster when the PAHs were in direct contact with the TiO2 layer. As PM2.5 is a mixture of various kinds of solids, co-existing components can be a rate-determining factor in the UV-induced degradation of PAHs. This was demonstrated by a remarkable increase in degradation rates following the removal of co-existing salts from the PM2.5 using water treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue NanoBio Hybrids and Photocatalysis)
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12 pages, 3088 KiB  
Article
Artificial, Photoinduced Activation of Nitrogenase Using Directed and Mediated Electron Transfer Processes
by Matan M. Meirovich, Oren Bachar and Omer Yehezkeli
Catalysts 2020, 10(9), 979; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10090979 - 31 Aug 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3022
Abstract
Nitrogenase, a bacteria-based enzyme, is the sole enzyme that is able to generate ammonia by atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Thus, improved understanding of its utilization and developing methods to artificially activate it may contribute to basic research, as well as to the design of [...] Read more.
Nitrogenase, a bacteria-based enzyme, is the sole enzyme that is able to generate ammonia by atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Thus, improved understanding of its utilization and developing methods to artificially activate it may contribute to basic research, as well as to the design of future artificial systems. Here, we present methods to artificially activate nitrogenase using photoinduced reactions. Two nitrogenase variants originating from Azotobacter vinelandii were examined using photoactivated CdS nanoparticles (NPs) capped with thioglycolic acid (TGA) or 2-mercaptoethanol (ME) ligands. The effect of methyl viologen (MV) as a redox mediator of hydrogen and ammonia generation was tested and analyzed. We further determined the NPs conductive band edges and their effect on the nitrogenase photoactivation. The nano-biohybrid systems comprising CdS NPs and nitrogenase were further imaged by transmission electron microscopy, visualizing their formation for the first time. Our results show that the ME-capped CdS NPs–nitrogenase enzyme biohybrid system with added MV as a redox mediator leads to a five-fold increase in the production of ammonia compared with the non-mediated biohybrid system; nevertheless, it stills lag behind the natural process rate. On the contrary, a maximal hydrogen generation amount was achieved by the αL158C MoFe-P and the ME-capped CdS NPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue NanoBio Hybrids and Photocatalysis)
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Review

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17 pages, 1986 KiB  
Review
Status Update on Bioelectrochemical Systems: Prospects for Carbon Electrode Design and Scale-Up
by Katharina Herkendell
Catalysts 2021, 11(2), 278; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11020278 - 19 Feb 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3261
Abstract
Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) employ enzymes, subcellular structures or whole electroactive microorganisms as biocatalysts for energy conversion purposes, such as the electrosynthesis of value-added chemicals and power generation in biofuel cells. From a bioelectrode engineering viewpoint, customizable nanostructured carbonaceous matrices have recently received considerable [...] Read more.
Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) employ enzymes, subcellular structures or whole electroactive microorganisms as biocatalysts for energy conversion purposes, such as the electrosynthesis of value-added chemicals and power generation in biofuel cells. From a bioelectrode engineering viewpoint, customizable nanostructured carbonaceous matrices have recently received considerable scientific attention as promising electrode supports due to their unique properties attractive to bioelectronics devices. This review demonstrates the latest advances in the application of nano- and micro-structured carbon electrode assemblies in BES. Specifically, in view of the gradual increase in the commercial applicability of these systems, we aim to address the stability and scalability of different BES designs and to highlight their potential roles in a circular bioeconomy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue NanoBio Hybrids and Photocatalysis)
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